School of Discipleship

I wanted to put a little plug in here about what I believe to be one of the greatest and most influential ministries a church could ever offer - it is called the School of Discipleship!

It starts here at Free Chapel on Monday, September 14 - the school is from 7:00-9:00pm every Monday night. It will last 12 weeks, and I strongly encourage anyone to be a part of it!

I am one of the foundation teachers in the School, and I would be honored to have you be a part of the class! The cost is $50 and this covers all of your materials - two books, a notebook, and printing costs.

You can sign up this Thursday night if you want to  - come see me for information about it!

Much love,

pc

Thursday Nights: What Should I Expect?

Last Thursday night was a blast for everyone!

And here are the message points recapped:

• Nehemiah 8
• Came together for worship as one man - gathered together in unity yet were still divided
• The people begged him to preach - could you imagine what would happen if we were all face-forward into what God wanted to say to us on Thursday nights?
• We are anchored to the Word of God - not entertainment.
• Preached til noon - 5 hours and the people listened attentively! Wow - preaching is a big deal. Well we say that each week...
• 5 Faulty Approaches to Worship:
• Simon Cowell - judgmental, critical spirit - church is like American Idol to you - are you going to vote us in another week?
• Bunny Rabbit - professional church shoppers - this alienates you from the life God wants you to live - buy in!
• Movie Theater - "Here we are now, entertain us!" - this is not a show - people show up with an exit strategy in one hand to get out on the last song to beat the crowd - more to this than that!
• Diet Coke - I will live like hell all week and wash down all my guilt in one hour each Thursday night! Worship is meant to be an overflow not a meal replacement plan!
• Blackberry - just another thing to do - another appointment to make - come to church as a duty to check off the list
• And I taught for a while on the two creations - old man and new man and the divide of the Cross, but I could not possibly put all of those points on here.....if you want more of that, sign up for the School of Discipleship - it starts Monday, September 14 at 7:00 pm and will go until 9:00 pm. The session is 12 weeks long - it will flat out change your life!

See you this Thursday!

pcraig

Part Dos - "A Dying Seed"

What’s going on TURN? It’s been a great time being involved with theTURN! God has been stirring things up and there is an expectancy when Thursdays come around that God is going show up at service and change us forever.  I was reading over my last blog post and realized that I made a very common mistake.  People always talk about dying to self like I did, but what does that look like? Lets take a look at three passages of scripture that can help us as we try to die to ourselves so that Christ may be made more complete in our lives.

1^st Corinthians 6:18-20

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

There is something about sexual sin, Paul writes, that is different from all other sins.  As believers, when we indulge our flesh with sexual sin the consequences are very serious because we are sinning against our own body.  How many friends have we known that are caught up in bad relationships or had to deal with serious consequences because of sexual sin?  In order for Christ to be formed completely in our lives we have to avoid sexual sin at any cost.  One way to keep yourself safe is to partner with a friend and help keep each other accountable. 

Mark 1:35

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

We all know that the worse sound in the world is the alarm clock.  Have you ever been sitting around and the alarm you use on your phone goes off on someone else’s phone? Tell me that you do not instantly feel miserable.  Seriously though, here we see Christ, after ministering to the multitudes the pervious day, rose early and prayed.  If we commit ourselves to waking up early and seeking God our minds will be better focused on him throughout the day.  I am reminded of a quote “He who does not seek God in the morning rarely finds Him in the evening.” Easier said than done I know, but just start simple - wake up 15 minutes earlier or even 10 but give yourself time to work up to longer periods.

Luke 22:41-42

He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

What a influential yet seemingly short scripture.  Odds are we have all read this story of Jesus in the garden hundreds of times but, what a demonstration of giving total control to God.  The death Jesus died in the garden is one that we all must strive for, the total submission of our wills to the will of God.  What if we as a community at theTURN truly prayed this prayer and lived it out.  No matter what the situation or obstacle presented itself we would never compromise what God’s will is for our lives.  Then my thoughts are that things would become much clearer in our lives.  The secret is submitting to God’s will in our day-to-day life.  Why do we say “God if you call me to Africa I will go” but we wont share God’s love with our suitemate or neighbor? 

Let’s be honest here, chances are I didn’t write anything that you haven’t heard a million times, but are you doing it? Now is the time, as theTURN embarks on this incredible adventure, why not start now?  Why not unite as a community and devote ourselves to God during this time in our lives, as we get older it only gets more difficult.  Comments? Tell me what you think I love you all and I will see you at theTURN this Thursday, AND REMEMBER: BRING SOMEBODY.

 

DYING TO SELF
When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any unpunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, and any interruption by the will of God.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart.
THAT IS DYING TO SELF
Are you dead yet? In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the cross.

See you soon...

Pastor Jeremy - theNINE Assistant Youth Pastor

"What's theTURN?"

"We need to become more focused on who we are trying to reach than who we are trying to keep."

Above was a quote I made last Thursday night....which by the way, last week was nothing short of incredible! 140 college and 20-somethings in attendance with 7 commitments to Christ - God is shifting us in a new direction...

Just a quick recap of the night:

"What's theTURN?

I used the five dumbest things I've heard said about the church to preach my message on Thursday night, and then I sought to show how they were ignorant statements based upon what the church did not do in the book of Acts.

What is the vision for theTURN? It is simple - the vision for the Church at large. My whole message came out of Acts 2:36-46.

1. PREACHING ISN'T NEEDED IN TODAY'S CHURCHES - IT DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE! We will always believe in the preaching of the gospel at theTURN. NT church started with preaching. It is a life-giving exchange.

2. I WASN'T GETTING FED AT THAT CHURCH.

The people devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching....an authentic church is a learning church. It is the first mark of a Spirit-filled church that Luke gives in Acts 2:42.

3. I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO CHURCH TO BE A CHRISTIAN.

No, but they needed it; so I know I need it! Read Acts 2:46. They met in large gatherings as well as in smaller groups. We will follow this model of ministry at theTURN. Don't rob yourself of the greatest thing going because it sucked one time. A bad experience is no excuse for a withdrawal or complacency in the church. An unchurched Christian in the NT would have been a grotesque abnormality - a monster. Stop being a bonified church shopper and buy in to what God is doing..! Never heard the bare minimum principle applied to any other part of our lives...never heard a lady say, "I only need one pair of shoes to walk."

4. I DON'T LIKE BIG CHURCHES.

Simple as this: you won't like heaven then. Rev. 7:8-9. Don't excuse your lack of church growth and souls coming to know Jesus by saying you don't like big churches. Shame on us for wanting to preserve our community at the expense of people dying and going to hell.

5. GOD DOES NOT CHANGE SO WHY DOES THE CHURCH?

He always moves...I want to pastor a church that sings a hymn for worship and plays Outkast behind theTURN News - a church that combines old timeless values and truths and adds modern vibes to reach people.

See you this Thursday night....

pc

A Dying Seed is a Fruitful Seed - Guest Blogger

JOHN 12:20-25

20Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

 23Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

This is probably one of my favorite stories of Jesus’ ministry.  The Jews from all over the world, including Jesus and his disciples, have just come into Jerusalem for what everyone thought would be just another Passover.  Jesus knows however that this is leading up to the most pivotal moment in the history of the world.  Only days from this moment he would become the world’s Passover lamb dying so that the world can be saved.  Lets start with verse 20 and take a look at three points.

1. God uses our past to draws others to him

We see that some Greeks have come and asked Philip to see Jesus.  They approach Philip and not the other disciples because Philip is a fellow Greek.  This is a powerful example of how God uses every part of our being, even our past, to draw men unto him.  Many times new believers and even older ones struggle with their past.  God is not caught off guard by our past but uses it to draw others unto him.  The Greeks come to Phillip and ask to see Jesus because they can relate to Philip.  When you first came to the cross imagine whom you were. Those are people who can relate to you the most.  When those people see the change in your life, then they will come to you as the Greeks came to Philip.  Do not be ashamed of your past but praise God for setting you free and pray to him to use you in that area.  Especially you TURN people who better to relate to a struggling high school student as someone who has been there?

2. Only those who die to themselves can truly see Jesus.

Bottom line is that every part of our being is in total rebellion towards the things of God.  Even Paul writes in Romans 7:19 for what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing, what a sad state we find ourselves in.  We all have had those moments in our lives when afterward we ask ourselves “why do I keep doing this?”  The reason is because we have no power within ourselves to die to the flesh.  We must, if we wish to see Jesus, die to ourselves so that the Spirit can operate in our lives.  I honestly believe that if we could reach this point, then nine tenths of our problems would be solved.  Much easier said than done I know, but it is a commandment. In order to see Jesus we MUST do the things that please Jesus and not the things that please ourselves.  So when you pray take time to pray that God show you the things that need be changed and pray that the Spirit give you the power to overcome them.

3. Only those who die to themselves AND engage the culture around them will be fruitful.

The most vital request any person has been uttered in verses 23 and 24 “We want to see Jesus.”  How does Jesus respond to them? It’s not a faith seed, a Bible study, or a worship service.  He proceeds to tell them that now he’s about to glorified on the cross and the only way to see him is to die.  The greatest challenge Christians face is this command to die to ourselves.  If we do not die to ourselves and accept the call to go to the Earth, Jesus tells us in verse 24a that we simply die (physically) as a single seed.  Verse 24b tells us however that if we die as Jesus died in the garden (to ourselves) and “fall to the Earth” engage those around us, especially those who struggle with things we have struggled with in the past, then we will produce “many seeds.” 

So to sum it up in three points…

1.   God will use your past to draw people to him

2.   Only those who die to themselves AND engage the culture around them will be fruitful.

3.   Only those who die to themselves can truly see Jesus

I love you all and I will see you at theTURN this Thursday, AND REMEMBER: BRING SOMEBODY.

An Official Guest Blogger,

Pastor Jeremy

"Change Will Happen"

So as I promised last Thursday night, I am posting my message points on the blog for this week. Praise God for what He is doing here at theTURN each week....this past Thursday night was incredible in my opinion! It is exciting watching people engage in worship and the Word - that is what we are all about!

So the points:

1. Change will happen WHEN YOU ARE FULLY ENGAGED!

Our souls have to be engaged in the services....our mind, will, and emotions.

2. Change will happen WHEN YOU ARE WILLING TO RISK!

The issue with blood was willing to risk her reputation....we have to risk embarassment and God actually turning our lives upside down! It ought to be dangerous to come to theTURN.

3. Change will happen WHEN YOU ARE PROPERLY POSTURED!

We must come before Him each week with a CONFIDENT HUMILITY.

4. Change will happen WHEN YOU KEEP ON COMING.

You can't expect overnight changes from God for every issue and area in your life. Keep showing up. That is 90% of the battle. Be here each week!

5. Change will happen  WHEN YOU ARE COMING PREPARED!

Psalm 100:4 tells us to enter His courts with praise and thanksgiving...we will do that every week! We are an assembly of devoted fans who have prepared their hearts and aligned their souls each week so when we get to theTURN - CHANGE WILL HAPPEN!

See you this Thursday night....bigger and better than ever!

pcraig

"Sacred Cows"

Join us this Thursday night for a brand new series "Sacred Cows!"

Sacred Cows: the valued untouchables. What cherished values define who we are? Learn how theTURN has put biblical and practical core values in place to build a movement that will affect this community, this city, and the lives of people in search of true meaning. We're in this thing together, and over the next four weeks, we'll discover that God gives when we're unified and focused...   

You do not want to miss it! 

CHANGE WILL HAPPEN!

pc